Concrete wall panels are conventionally used in the construction of industrial buildings and other structures. In general, individual concrete wall panels are formed at the construction site by pouring concrete into forms which have been assembled on a casting surface, such as the floor of the building where the wall panels will be used. The concrete forms are typically secured to the casting surface by braces which hold the forms in place until the concrete wall panel has cured. The concrete forms are typically made of wood and the braces are often nailed to the forms and the casting surface. When the wall panel has cured, the nails and braces are removed from the forms and the casting surface, and the concrete panel is then raised to a desired position. Thereafter, the forms may be reused to cast another concrete wall panel.
In some applications, the forms defining a top edge of the wall panel may be tilted, or battered, to create a sloping surface in the formed wall when the wall is raised to a vertical orientation. Advantageously, the sloped surface facilitates directing rainwater toward a roof surface of the building of which the wall is a part, rather than permitting rainwater to otherwise run down the exterior sides of the wall.
Prior braces for securing concrete forms include wooden blocks and steel braces. The wooden blocks are typically saw cut into a triangular shape and are not always dimensionally uniform. These wooden blocks are usually damaged upon removal from the concrete forms and are therefore generally not reusable. Prior steel braces are generally reusable, but are also generally more expensive than wooden blocks, and considerably heavier, rendering them less convenient to transport and handle.
There is thus a need for a brace which can be used to secure concrete forms at a work site and which overcomes drawbacks of the prior art, such as those described above.